Playing with Possibilities
Norfolk singer-songwriter Brandon Vera, whose Artist name is BRNDN DYLN, figured out his own way to perform the piano and ukulele with a congenital joint disorder and is honored for his artistry. Story By Butch Maier | Photos By David Uhrin As soon as Brandon Vera was born in a Norfolk hospital in 1993, his [...]
Tastes Resonate at Selden Market’s Newest Trio
AVOCARGO, JUNIPER & JAM, AND MODEL CITIZEN COCKTAIL SUPPLY OFFER YUMMY VARIETY By Marisa Marsey Seldom is heard a discouraging word at Selden Market, downtown Norfolk’s perpetual spring of new-concept retail, where mentors nurture emerging small businesses, and consumers get “in-on-the-ground-floor” action in a historic arcade. The Downtown Norfolk Council runs the incubator, cultivating community [...]
Cook’s Corner: ‘A Living Form of Art’
CHEF’S PHILOSOPHY IS ‘EAT IN COLOR’ Story and photos by Yasmine Charles From a very young age, I was mesmerized by culinary school commercials. That curiosity became a journey—one that carried me through New York City restaurant kitchens, aboard U.S. Navy ships and into the classroom teaching culinary arts at Stratford University, while also bringing [...]
Seven Can’t-Miss Spring Sounds
By Hannah Serrano Spring arrives in Coastal Virginia with a musical lineup that spans centuries and genres—from operatic spectacle and symphonic touchstones to jazz intimacy, soul-bearing pop, and Y2K nostalgia. Whether you’re settling into a velvet seat at the Harrison Opera House or screaming along to early-2000s hits at the Hampton Coliseum, these seven shows [...]
A Spring Bouquet of Theater
This season’s shows combine solid classics with bold new choices. By Paul Bibeau As the weather warms, a broad mix of performances will pop up in Hampton Roads. Audiences will come home to a pair of tried-and-true productions, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and The Lion King. They can catch Mrs. Doubtfire, a quirky [...]
Movies Made in Coastal Virginia
With Famous Actors Photo above: Tom Hanks stars in Columbia Pictures' "Captain Phillips." Affairs of State (2018): Mysterious romantic drama starring David Corenswet, Mimi Rogers, Adrian Grenier, and Thora Birch. Directed by Eric Bross. Shot in Norfolk. American Dreamer (2018): Crime thriller starring Jim Gaffigan. Directed by Derrick Borte. Shot in Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Virginia [...]
Theatrical Premieres
Here are the most anticipated movies of March and April, via rottentomatoes.com MARCH The Bride! Release: March 6 Genres: Horror/Drama/Musical Rated: R Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal Starring: Christian Bale, Jessie Buckley, Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Penelope Cruz, John Magao Plot: In director Maggie Gyllenhaal’s remake of 1935’s Bride of Frankenstein, a murdered young woman [...]
King of Pain
Josh Plasse returns to Coastal Virginia to direct The Pirate King, a dramedy movie starring Rob Riggle as a veteran who finds redemption from PTSD and addiction by joining a group of pirate reenactors. By Butch Maier Life and moviemaking take detours. Few people stay on one career path. Few stories find a direct route [...]
Feats of Feet Featured
BalletX: March 5 at Chrysler Hall, Norfolk This extraordinary Philadelphia-based contemporary ballet company is innovative and rooted in technical excellence. This program includes: Become a Mountain, Heroes, and Big Wig. Become a Mountain is a dance that simulates the arc of a mountain climb, unfolding in three parts: a climb to a summit, the emboldened feeling [...]
Funny Bone Offers More Elbow Room, More Names, and Games
At the new Funny Bone Comedy Club in Virginia Beach, customers do not have to worry about having enough elbow room or hitting their funny bone. Funny Bone opened in January in Pembroke Square in a brand-new, spacious, 22,200-square-foot venue with 450 seats. The expanded space means more room for guests and the ability to [...]
Belly Laughs Aplenty
Bert, a Big Woodchuck, sketch kings, and one cool Katt are among the amusing arrivals. By Pete Humes Need a reason to pack your calendar with live comedy this spring? Here’s one that’s better than a doctor’s note: Laughing is good for you.Ridiculously good. No joke. Laughter unleashes a cascade of positive physical and emotional [...]
From Across the Pond to Virginia Beach
Artist Anna Anderson, originally from Hertfordshire, England, moved to Virginia Beach in 2024. In her home studio, she creates original paintings of Coastal Virginia in a vibrant, illustrative style. She specializes in coastal landmarks, watercolors, acrylic, and custom commissions. Her work can be seen in galleries, gift shops, stores, a visitor center, and Astraea Coffee. [...]
Top Docs All-Stars 2026
Top Docs All-Stars are physicians who’ve been selected by their medical peers as Top Docs for five Consecutive years or more.
Screen Your Child’s Screen Time
New amendment sets limits for social media, and parents should be more proactive than reactive. By Butch Maier The Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act includes an amendment, effective Jan. 1, 2026, to help limit children younger than 16 to one hour on a social media platform per day. Dr. Heather Tedesco, a Virginia-based applied psychologist, [...]
Richmond Theater Crowd
Richmond is crowded with theaters. Here is a sampling of what you can see soon at several of them. Compiled by Butch Maier / Photo By Sarah Ferguson | Richmond Ballet March 5-29: Primary Trust, play, Virginia Rep, November Theatre March 7: Up, 2009 movie, Byrd Theatre March 19: Keep Shouting Sister: A Tribute to [...]
Virginia Rep Takes a Stab at an Old Story, Gives Deathtrap New Life
By: Butch Maier / Photo above courtesy of Sutten Photography Deathtrap, Ira Levin’s comedy-thriller play in two acts, was first staged in 1978. In January, the almost-a-half-century-old story felt new again. Plot twists drew gasps during a Saturday matinee performance of a Virginia Repertory Theatre production at Hanover Tavern, just north of Richmond. “Hanover is, [...]
Rich in Arts
The Richmond Scene Needs to Be Seen By Butch Maier Virginia Repertory Theatre actor McLean Fletcher has worked in the arts around the world but always comes back to Richmond. “I think it’s beautiful,” said Fletcher, who also is a filmmaker and a painter. “The walkability, the drivability, the climate, the tree-lined streets. “I feel [...]
Modern Matter Fashions a Place on the High End with Decorative Hardware
By Betsy DiJulio / Photo above: Modern Matter co-owners Kat Litton (left) and Lee Woodard Hardware might not sound alluring. But at Modern Matter, a premium home fashion brand based in Virginia Beach, decorative hardware has gotten a seriously seductive upgrade. Since 2020, the company has been devoted to the creation of custom luxury hardware [...]
Quite a Quilt Collection Threads Together Times
STITCHING TOGETHER HISTORY CELEBRATES 250TH ANNIVERSARY WITH 250 PIECES ABOUT VIRGINIA By Butch Maier History connects us as the timeline of life weaves a thread through the centuries. A new book uses quilts to tell the state’s story. Stitching Together History: 250 Quilts Commemorating the Commonwealth of Virginia (2026, Schiffer Publishing, $34.99, hardcover) celebrates the [...]
You Gotta Have Art
Z FRINGE FESTIVAL SHINES A SPOTLIGHT ON A VARIETY OF WORK By Butch Maier You can dance if you want to.You can bring your friends along.You can act.You can joke.You can perform.You can create. Whatever you do, to make it in the Z Fringe Festival… You gotta have art. More than 200 artists will showcase [...]
Five to Try: Sports Bars
WATCH HOOPS, MUNCH, AND HOPE FOR MARCH GLADNESS By Butch Maier / Photo above: Socky's co-owners Sharon Sockman, David Sockman, and Alison Sockman-Gillis, courtesy of Socky's Check out these five independent sports bars where you can watch college basketball games in March and enjoy some eats. I do have to give a shoutout to one [...]
Spring Things to Do and See 2026
— Compiled by Butch Maier RUN Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend The Shamrock Marathon, founded in 1973 with 59 entrants, is the oldest annually run road race in Virginia Beach. The Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend on March 21-22 will include a marathon, half marathon, 8K, and challenges, with more than 24,000 total participants expected. For more [...]
A Developing Situation at Virginia Opera
JACQUELYN VANDENPLAS COMBINES PASSION FOR THE ARTS AND LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE AS NEW DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
